2020 Winter Is Coming Blog Hop

Posted on by Staci Mauney

This year, I’m looking forward to Christmas more than ever. It’s a bright spot in the dark of 2020. Like many of you, I have cherished memories of family gatherings. I’ve spent many hours throughout the years creating handmade gifts for others and baking sweet treats with my mom. The holidays often bring additional stress to an already stressful year. We can feel overwhelmed and stressed by the season for many reasons: financial difficulties, too many activities, family members who don’t get along…the list goes on and on. Joy seems elusive, but we can experience the joy of the season when we remember why we celebrate this season: Jesus.

This Christmas season, I’m joining The Kids Did It blog and The Mommy Island blog to participate in the Fifth Annual Winter Is Coming Giveaway Event, which runs from December 3, 2020, to December 21, 2020. The winner will receive a $15 Amazon gift card.

Enter through the Gleam form below for your chance to win!

Staci’s 2020 Winter Is Coming Event

One entrant will be selected to win a $15 Amazon gift card. Open for entry in the Continental US/Canada Only, 18 years and older from 12/03/20 thru 12/21/20 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will have 24 hours to respond to notification email to claim their prize or a new winner will be selected. See Gleam form for official rules. Event hosts and participating bloggers are not responsible for fulfilling prize obligations from sponsors or self-sponsoring bloggers.

Echoes of Joy Devotional Series

Blurb

In the Echoes of Joy Devotional Series, author Staci Mauney chronicles her adventures with Lilly, her Yorkie companion, and family, friends, and other pets. Staci connects everyday life to spiritual truths and lessons about overcoming fear, embracing change, and encouraging yourself and others. Each devotional contains a Bible verse and prayer.

Staci introduces Lilly to the world in Echoes of Joy: 30 Days of Experiencing God’s Grace and takes the reader on their adventures as they build community and find joy in the simple things.

From struggling through the holidays after divorce to finding hope in unlikely places, Echoes of Joy: A Daily Devotional for Christmas features stories from Staci’s life that explore the lessons of Christmas that are relevant all year long.

Sharing the antics of her pets in Echoes of Joy: A Devotional for Animal Lovers, Staci reveals spiritual truths she’s learned from the animals with which God has entrusted us.

Let the messages in this series move you into God’s presence.

Excerpt from Echoes of Joy: A Daily Devotional for Christmas

Day 1

Christmas Memories

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Ps 100:4-5)

As a child, my family would either drive across town to spend time with my mother’s parents on Christmas or drive several miles out into the country to eat with one of my dad’s siblings. No matter which side of the family we went to see, my brother and I always had lots of cousins to play with, and my parents had lots of adults with which to play games and visit.

As we got older, my brother and I played games with the adults. My brother would start a round of his favorite game, Clue, with anyone he could convince to play. I preferred card games such as Skip-Bo to board games. My grandma was often our competition in these games. She loved all games and us, too, so she never turned down an opportunity to learn whatever game we wanted to play.

My dad and uncle weren’t interested in board games, so they played pool instead. My uncle had a pool table at his house – upstairs – and my brother and I always tried to talk the men into letting us play. However, they made us wait our turn, which meant we got bored and left them alone to play for the rest of the day.

I’m thankful for the memories of Christmases spent with family, several of whom have passed away. The Lord has blessed me with a wonderful family and good friends. Though we’re scattered far and wide now, we have memories (and social media) to keep us close. I’m thankful for those such as my grandma and my parents who have shown me who Jesus is as they live out his example each day. And I’m thankful for Jesus, the one who makes all of this possible. I’m thankful that he sacrificed his life for mine so that I could live forever in him. He is the ultimate blessing and the reason for this season.

Dear Jesus, thank you for wonderful family memories of Christmases past. Help us to remember the importance of family and to stay in touch, even though we may be miles apart. Amen.

Buy the Book!

Thanks for stopping by and reading a little of my Christmas devotional! Remember to visit the other blogs that are participating in this hop by clicking the link below, and enter to win more wonderful prizes! Good luck!

49 thoughts on “2020 Winter Is Coming Blog Hop”

  1. My favorite Christmas memory was during my sophomore year of high school, I was in the chorus and we went around town caroling, it was magical.

  5. My favorite Christmas memory is when I got a toy train when I was little. Thanks for the giveaway!

  6. My favorite childhood memory is having large family gatherings and meals with our extended family all together.

  7. My favorite memory is walking up the block with my sister and mother to pick out the Christmas tree

  8. My favorite Christmas memories was when my Mother & Father were still here to enjoy them with us all.

  9. My favorite Christmas memory was making a homemade gingerbread house with my mom and brother when I was a kid.

  10. My favorite Christmas memory is the years we celebrated with extended family…aunts, uncles, cousins & grandparents.

  11. My favorite Christmas memory is decorating the tree with my family while the Christmas music was playing and eating cookies with hot chocolate.

  12. My favorite Christmas memories are with my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles (who are all gone now). We decorated our homes and spent wonderful times together.

  18. My favorite memory is my purple corvette! I was 7 and got a push pedal car. Man, it was so rockin cool looking!

  20. when i was 8 my whole family came over to my house on christmasday, which was super rare. it was amazing to have everyone together!

  21. My favorite Christmas memory is when I was almost not believing in Santa anymore and I kept an eagle eye on my parents all night to prove that they leave our Christmas party to put our present under the tree on Christmas Eve. That year they never left and the presents were there when we got home from the party. They had me believing for another year. Turns out my aunt helped them keep the magic alive that year by sneaking over to our house and putting the presents under the tree.

  26. Two Christmases when I worked in a group home for developmentally disabled children, I was able to take children home to my parents house because their own parents did not come to take them home over the Christmas break. Sad at first but it ended up happy for the kids 🙂

  29. I remember getting tickets to the ballet for the first time when I was a kid at Christmas. Best gift ever.

  30. My favorite Christmas memory growing up was trading just one present on Christmas Eve, and it was always me and my brothers gift, to eah other.

  31. I went into labor with my first child during Christmas mass…. wasn’t my favorite when it happened, but it has become my favorite over years! LOL!

  35. Going to my Grandmother’s home for Christmas and sleeping over. I loved her very much and we would always have so much fun.

  36. When I was a child, my family sometimes visited a relative’s house for Christmas (depending on how far away my we lived). I liked traveling. However, if we visited my mom’s parents their house would be packed with relatives that I saw once a year, and I was a shy child. So, when I grew up we didn’t visit relatives, but toured different cities in Texas.
    When my own child was asked for a family Christmas tradition she said, “Visiting San Antonio.” We had only been there twice. We didn’t have any other traditions except Pepperidge Farm cookies and fruit in their stockings for breakfast, exchanging gifts and stuffed turkey for dinner. I didn’t always have time for decorating or putting up a tree.

  38. My favorite holiday memory is our Christmas wedding on December 22. We will be celebrating our 47th anniversary on Tuesday.

  40. Ive great memories from when I was a kid, with my entire family (many who have moved, or passed now) celebrating together.

  42. My favorite memories are holidays when the children were little. Christmas is so much more fun with children.

  43. My favorite memory is baking Christmas cookies from scratch with my Grandma. She’s 92 now and doesn’t bake anymore but I remember those years fondly.

  44. When my grandmother would take my sister, brother and me to drive around to look at all the lights and decorations on people’s houses.

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